1. Training surgeon status is not associated with an increased risk of early or late mortality after isolated aortic valve replacement surgery.
- Author
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Saxena A, Dinh D, Smith JA, Reid CM, Shardey G, and Newcomb AE
- Subjects
- Aged, Chi-Square Distribution, Databases, Factual, Female, Heart Valve Diseases diagnosis, Heart Valve Diseases mortality, Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation adverse effects, Hospital Mortality, Humans, Logistic Models, Male, Multivariate Analysis, Operative Time, Postoperative Complications therapy, Proportional Hazards Models, Retrospective Studies, Risk Assessment, Risk Factors, Time Factors, Treatment Outcome, Victoria, Aortic Valve surgery, Clinical Competence, Education, Medical, Graduate, Heart Valve Diseases surgery, Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation education, Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation mortality, Internship and Residency, Postoperative Complications mortality, Surgeons education
- Abstract
Background: Few studies have addressed the effect of "trainee surgeon" status on outcomes after isolated aortic valve replacement (AVR)., Methods and Results: A retrospective analysis of data, collected by the Australasian Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons Cardiac Surgery Database Program between June 2001 and December 2009 was performed. Patient demographics, intra-operative characteristics and early morbidity were compared between trainee and staff cases. Multivariate analyses were used to determine the independent association of training status with 30-day and late mortality. Isolated AVR was performed in 2747 patients; of these, 369 (13.4%) were by trainees. Compared to staff cases, trainee cases were less likely to present with renal failure (1.1% vs. 3.7%, p = 0.010) or in a critical preoperative state (1.4% vs. 3.7%, p = 0.020). The mean EuroSCORE was lower in trainee patients, compared to staff patients (8.11 ± 2.80 vs. 8.81 ± 3.09, p < 0.001). Trainee cases had longer mean perfusion (117.9 min vs. 98.9 min, p < 0.001) and cross-clamp (88.8 min vs. 73.2 min, p < 0.001) times. The incidence of early complications was similar between the two groups, except for post-operative myocardial infarction (1.1% vs. 0.3%, p = 0.008) and red blood cell transfusion (43.9 vs. 40.0%, p = 0.006). On multivariate analysis, trainee status was not associated with an increased risk of 30-day mortality (2.2% vs. 2.4%, p = 0.823). Moreover, there was no significant difference in long-term outcomes and 5-year survival was comparable in both groups (89.9% vs. 84.8%, p = 0.274)., Conclusions: Isolated AVR can be safely and effectively performed by trainee surgeons who are strictly supervised in the operating theatre especially during the technically complex parts of the procedure.
- Published
- 2014
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